Computer Glitch

“Damage report!”

Science officer Ronald Woods glanced up from his console. “Minimal damage, Captain,” he reported. “Only one hit, and it doesn’t appear to have done any damage. However, that one hit did strike near where our computer lies closest to the hull. I would like to run a complete diagnostic to ensure the computer is undamaged.”

Captain Rebecca James glanced over her shoulder. “How long will that take?”

“Approximately six hours.”

James shook her head. “Let’s get somewhere safer first. If I remember right, a complete diagnostic shuts down all but essential systems. I can’t have my ship partially disabled if there’s a chance of another attack.”

“Understood, Captain.”

“Helm, what’s the nearest station?”

Lieutenant Stacy Dixon checked her screens. “Station R-7, Captain. Approximately five days at standard cruising speed.”

James nodded. “Set a course.”

It was about an hour later when Lieutenant Amanda Burns glanced up from her communications console. “Captain,” she said, “the armory just missed its scheduled system check.”

James frowned. “Who’s on duty there?”

“Ensign Green.”

James thumbed a button on her command chair. “Bridge to Armory, report. Captain to Armory. Ensign Green, status report.” She glanced toward her communications officer. “Anything?”

“Nothing, Captain. The line is open, but nobody’s answering.”

“Send a security detail to check it out.”

Moments later, the intercom chimed. “Security to Bridge.”

“Go.”

“Armory’s empty, Captain. According to what we’re seeing here, Ensign Green logged into the system at the start of her duty shift, but she’s not here now.”

“Find her. And find out why she’s not at her post.”

“Aye, Captain.”

By the end of the day, five more crew members had been reported missing from their assigned stations. Reporting to James in her office, science officer Woods appeared at a total loss.

“It’s strange, Becca.” Woods was one of the few people allowed to address James so casually, though never on the bridge. “All six people vanished from secure areas of the ship, but I can’t find any sign of anyone else in those areas at the time.”

“Could someone have altered the security logs to hide their presence?”

Woods frowned. “It’s possible, I guess. But even then, I should see some trace of it. Besides, it would take a computer expert to alter those logs without setting off alarms all over the ship.”

James nodded. “Well,” she said, “keep at it. And make sure security keeps looking. Those people have to be here somewhere. I don’t think they all just decided to go outside.”

“Will do. Oh, and one other curious note. Cargo section four seems to have been sealed. Nobody can get in there.”

“Is there anything in there we need?”

Woods checked his portable viewer. “Nothing. I can run a new manifest, but according to the one I have, section four was where we stored those power converters we just delivered to the colony on Prius IV. It should be empty now.”

James shrugged. “In that case, don’t worry about it. Focus on our missing crew.”

“Anything on our six missing people?” James settled into her command chair as she awaited an answer.

“Nothing,” Woods replied. “But the number is now nine. Also, Engineering reports a number of maintenance droids have vanished from the system.”

James frowned. “This is getting strange. And nothing from security?”

Woods shook his head. “Nothing so far, Captain.”

Shaking her head, James rose from her chair. “Let’s take a look around,” she said. “We’ll start in the armory.” Nodding, Woods rose and followed her from the bridge. Once in the armory, the two officers began checking everything they could think of.

“Anything?”

“Nothing so far, Becca. Logs show Ensign Sims logging into and out of the system as usual last night.”

“Ok. You go check in at the security station on this deck. I’m going to poke around here a bit more.”

Once Woods was gone, James worked the room’s computer terminal for several minutes, but found nothing unusual. Turning to leave, she suddenly paused, feeling strangely light headed. She fought against eyes suddenly gone heavy, but, slowly, the room went black.

The first thing she noticed was cold. Next came the realization that she couldn’t move. Slowly, keeping her eyes closed, James explored her other senses.

Her arms, she discovered, had somehow been secured behind her back, forearm to forearm. She stood with legs spread wide, her ankles somehow secured in that position. James could feel something wrapped around both ankles, and assumed these were attached to something else, making it impossible for her to draw her feet together. Also, she could feel something filling her mouth, straps around her head holding the gag in place.

James opened her eyes and glanced down, only then realizing that she was naked. She gazed down at her own body for a long moment, then raised her eyes.

In front of her, she saw Ensign Green. Also naked, Green lay on the floor, a series of what looked like leather straps holding her in place with knees pressed against her breasts, heels pressed against her ass. Her arms appeared to be secure behind her in much the same way James’ were. A wide leather panel covered her mouth, over which her wide eyes stared at her Captain.

James struggled briefly against her bonds, then slumped in defeat. Evidently, whatever it was securing her arms was also attached to the wall. Otherwise, she thought, she would have fallen forward during her struggles. Unwillingly accepting, for now, her own helplessness, James took stock of her surroundings, noting that each of her missing crew were now present and accounted for.

Ensign Stevens stood against the wall nearby, his hands raised over his head and secured to the cold steel. Stevens stood with legs strapped securely together. A leather panel covered his mouth. Curiously, he was fully erect, a soft glint between his thighs telling James something had been positioned there as well.

Glancing the other way, James saw Lieutenant Greenbaum and Ensign Shaw. Shaw lay on his back within some kind of framework. Leather straps bound his arms to his sides, while more straps held his legs firmly together. Greenbaum lay atop him, face down. Straps secured her arms behind her. Her ankles were strapped to a bar the kept her feet widely spread. Some kind of cable led from the center of the bar to a harness around her shoulders, holding her body bent into a backward arch. As she struggled, her body rocked back and forth, each motion bringing a muffled moan from her gagged mouth. Looking closer, James could see that Shaw, like Stevens, was fully erect, with something shiny glinting at the base of his cock. He was also, she saw, buried between Greenbaum’s thighs.

Strangely embarrassed at the sight, James looked away, then glanced back. Whoever had positioned the two knew exactly what they were doing. The framework kept them from rolling apart. Greenbaum’s position, combined with the nature of her bonds, caused her body to rock like a rocking chair with any slight motion, moving her up and down on Shaw’s cock. Slowly, James realized she was staring, and tore her eyes away, making a quick check on the others.

Crewman Yates lay nearby, body bent back into a strict hogtie. Beyond him, crewmen Young and Walters lay bound together, each with up-stretched arms strapped to the other’s legs. Each head was secured by straps, holding it firmly in place at the juncture of the other’s thighs. Somehow, James had little doubt what was filling each man’s mouth.

Ensign Smythe and crewman George also lay together. Arms secured behind them, each woman was bent at the waist, straps just above her knees holding the other woman’s head securely between her thighs. From both pairs, James noticed helpless struggles, and more than a little moaning.

Suddenly, a maintenance droid stepped into James’ field of vision. As she watched, it lifted Green from the floor and placed her atop Yates, driving his cock deep inside her. The droid them produced several leather straps, which it used to bind the two together. Once finished, it turned toward James.

Ignoring her struggles, the droid easily unhooked her from the wall, lifting her and carrying her to where Stevens stood helplessly. Pressing James against him, the droid slowly lowered her to the floor. As it did, she could feel Stevens’ cock slip inside her. James was amazed at how easily he entered her, only then noticing how wet she’d become.

Once it had her positioned, the droid used more straps to secure her in place, pressed against Stevens, helplessly filled by his cock. When the droid turned away, James began struggling, halting quickly when she realized the only motions she was capable of were with her hips, which only served to drive Stevens deeper within her.

Staring helplessly into Stevens’ equally helpless gaze, James slowly became aware that the soft moans she’d been hearing were growing louder, more pronounced. Gradually, she felt herself rocking against Stevens, who matched her slight movement. Stunned, she froze, only to feel her body resume its rocking, almost as if it had a will of its own.

James groaned softly, realizing her motion, combined with his, was slowly building her arousal. She also realized that, with such limited motion possible, that arousal would never grow to the point of orgasm. Hearing the moans around her grow more desperate, she could only assume the others were in a similar state.

Gradually, the world faded. The room, her crew, even the man pressed against her, receded from her senses. All that mattered was the hard warmth filling her. With increasing desperation, James drove herself against the body in front of her, struggling to drive him deeper, struggling for an orgasm that seemed determined to remain just out of reach.

Vaguely, she felt something touching her, felt herself being lifted. Moaning, she fought to push forward, feeling the cock slip from between her thighs. Something pressed against the side of her neck. She heard a soft hiss, and all went dark.

“She’s waking up.”

Opening her eyes, James found herself lying on a bed in sickbay, her nudity covered by a light blanket. Standing beside her, Woods and Dr. Williams watched with concerned eyes.

“What happened?”

“How do you feel, Captain?” asked Williams.

“Like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet,” James replied, glancing down at her blanket covered body. “In more ways than one,” she added ruefully. Her gaze shifted to Woods. “What happened?”

“Apparently,” Woods replied, “that single hit we took damaged the computer, causing a number of files to be erased. The computer tried to reassemble the missing data by linking with other programs.”

“What files?”

“There were a couple of minor files missing. The main ones, though, were part of the security protocol dealing with prisoner restraint. The computer looked for similar files, and found them in an unlikely place.”

“Apparently,” he continued, “a small group of crew members installed an unauthorized program into the computer during our last overhaul.”

“Let me guess,” James said. “A bondage program.”

Woods nodded. “For recreational purposes, or so they claim. As it was, with that program cross-linked into the security program, the computer began capturing crewmembers if found alone in secure areas. It then had droids carry them to cargo section 4 for restraint, according to its new protocols.”

“So how did you find us?”

“When I realized you were missing, I made all secure areas off limits and started that diagnostic. Unfortunately, it took some time to discover the damage. Once we realized what had happened, I disabled the security system. Engineering had to burn their way into section 4. Unfortunately, due to your high state of arousal, it was deemed necessary to sedate all captives on release, after which you were brought here.”

James nodded, then glanced around. Her fellow captives lay in other beds, each, she noticed, taking great care to look anywhere but at their former unwilling partner.

“I think,” she said softly, “that some counseling is going to be needed here.”

“Including the Captain?”

A sudden memory of being helplessly filled flashed through her mind, sending a shiver down her body. “Especially the Captain,” she declared shakily.

“If you’re feeling ok, Captain,” Woods said, “I need to see what I can do about fixing the computer.”

“Do you think you can restore the damaged security protocols, limiting them to only cargo section 4?”

Looking puzzled, Woods nodded. “I think I can. Why?”

“Do so,” James ordered. “Just make sure it’s only in that one room. Then I want you to round up that group of people, and confine them to section 4 for a minimum of twelve hours. Perhaps that will inspire them to think twice before installing unauthorized programs into my ship’s computer.”

Closing her eyes, James let the ghost of a smile touch her lips. “Who knows? I may even stop in to see how they’re doing.” And, if I’m lucky, she thought, to join them.

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16.04.13